With spring coming forth in the garden, and a few more visitors to the Arboretum, I’ve noticed more photographers capturing moments of early spring.  So I thought it might be helpful to go over how I prepare my gear for a photo-shoot with fellow photography enthusiasts.

First, I often scout out an area months or days ahead of time to anticipate the lighting conditions I might like to have or take advantage of for a given image.  But we won’t go into that level of preparation here since the methods you can use vary greatly.  The night before a shoot, I gather all my gear and look it over to be certain I have everything I will need or want close at hand in case I need it.  There is nothing worse than being in a situation where you don’t have the equipment you need because it’s at home.  With that in mind, here is how I prepare.

Items to take with on a photo-shoot. photo credit: R. Maurer

Night before:

1. Camera bag selected and cleaned
2. Camera batteries charged and packed
3. Extra batteries packed
4. Lenses inspected, cleaned and packed
5. Filters inspected, cleaned and packed
6. Camera body inspected, cleaned and packed
7. Camera image sensor inspected and cleaned if necessary
8. Memory card formatted and loaded in camera
9. Extra formatted memory cards packed
10. Reset camera settings to most commonly used
    1. Exposure mode
    2. Metering mode
    3. Focus mode
    4. ISO setting
    5. White balance setting
    6. Image quality setting
    7. Microfiber cloth inspected and packed
    8. Rain cover for camera body with lens packed
    9. Pad, pencil, and business cards packed
    10. Flashlight and headlamp packed
    11. Clean and lubricate tripod levers and legs if necessary – often I do this right after a muddy or wet shooting situation to keep them operating smoothly
    12. If you have a speedlight, pack this with gels and extra batteries

Morning of the shoot pack the car with:

1. Packed camera bag
2. Tripod
3. Water bottles and a snack
4. Cell phone
5. Maps if needed
6. Baseball cap for keeping the direct sun out of my eyes
7. Wear a photo vest or other pocket filled garment for all those lens covers, etc you need to put somewhere while shooting
8. And I almost always bring a lightweight packable raincoat in the car, just in case
9. Plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early so I can gather my thoughts and get set-up before my first exposure.  Especially since I might find other magical moments to capture I had not planned on!

An example of the amazing images you can capture on an early morning photo walk. photo credit: R. Maurer

So if you’ve now prepared your gear for a shoot, why not join me next Wednesday for an early morning photo-walk at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College?   Here is a link to a great e-book by Dave Delnea titled BELOW THE HORIZON, Understanding Light at the Edges of Day to get you inspired.

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Autumn is upon us in the Delaware Valley and I find myself scheduling several early morning and late afternoon “golden hours” each week to try and capture the fleeting transition of the flora around us. It is this fleeting nature of autumn that captivates me this time of year as a photographer. One day, just a few hours or even just a few seconds can make an entirely different moment any time of year, but autumn seems to be exceedingly fleeting and what might be a beautiful scene of fall color one day might be a bare landscape the next.

Reflections on the pond at Mt. Cuba. photo credit: R. Maurer

There is so much to take in visually and I also find my sense of hearing and smell heightened at this time of year. Just this weekend the sound and scent of Eastern white pine needles toasting in the afternoon sun took me back to sleeping on a bed of these needles in a pine forest when I was about 10 years old. I use all my senses to frame my vision for a photograph. Personally, I’m trying to convey meaning, trying to listen to what nature is saying and trying to excite the senses with my finished images; but every photographer has a different vision for their work.

October colors of Helenium 'Mardi Gras'. photo credit: R. Maurer

Some tools I always take with me into the field along with my camera and lenses are my tripod, graduated neutral density filters and circular polarizer. I carry the tripod with me everywhere as I often find a need for it even on the brightest of days. The circular polarizer minimizes reflections off of water, leaf surfaces and structures when at 90 degrees from the sun. Graduated neutral density filters help to compensate for exposure differences between a brightly lit sky and foreground at times such as sunrise and sunset. I might even pack along a neutral density filter to control exposure for movement.

Rhoda Maurer capturing the "fleeting transition of flora" with her camera. photo credit: B. Rahlings

Autumn is an amazing time of year; moments in time to become closer with knowing ourselves as photographers, artists and human beings. It’s also a good time to brush up on your skills as a photographer and artist. Join me October 22^nd and 29^th for a two part workshop on the techniques and creative aspects of digital photography held at the Scott Arboretum. Session One will cover topics such as: composition, filters, exposure compensation, white balance, shutter speed, and depth of field. Session Two will be an opportunity to explore your own creative vision using the techniques learned in Session One. Register online or by calling the Scott Arboretum office at 610-328-8025.

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This time of year I find myself outside amongst pink and white tepals bursting forth on bare branches and floating in a gentle breeze over fresh, green, spring lawns. The first magnolias to bloom at the Scott Arboretum are the Magnolia stellata cultivars, M. kobus and M. salicifolia. A few weeks later and finishing up this week, Magnolia denudata, M. ‘Candy Cane’ and M. x loebneri selections contribute to the symphony of color and fragrance. The Magnolia x soulangiana cultivars are in full bloom this week as well. I am praying we don’t get a late spring frost anytime soon that could shorten the magnolia display. In the Magnolia Collection near Mertz Residence Hall there is a supporting ground layer of blue Scilla siberica, and white and purple Crocus cultivars found under their branches. Next week should be peak bloom for the Little Girl Hybrids and M. ‘Spectrum’ and ‘Galaxy’. The yellow magnolias are just starting to swell and will contribute to the finale in May just as many American native magnolias come into bloom.

Magnolia x soulangiana above Scilla siberica in the Magnolia Collection. photo credit: R. Maurer

We have 266 specimens of magnolias representing 165 taxa in our collections at the Scott Arboretum; many of them are mature specimens. But their importance goes beyond their inherent beauty. In 2007, BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) and FFI (Fauna and Flora International) jointly published The Red List of Magnoliaceae which identifies 131 wild magnolias as being in danger of extinction, from a global total of 245 species.

Magnolia zenii listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Redlist of Magnoliaceae. photo credit: R. Maurer

From BGCI’s survey (Global Survey of Ex situ Magnoliaceae Collections):

The report called for action to ensure that the 89 taxa listed in the report as Critically Endangered or Endangered were conserved. The first stage of this action was to establish which of these taxa are held in ex situ collections around the world by carrying out a global survey. The Global Survey of Ex situ Magnoliaceae Collections published in June 2008 identified 2,274 Magnoliaceae records from 238 institutions in 47 countries. However, only 362 ex situ records representing the 37 of the most threatened Magnoliaceae were located. This means that more than half of the Critically Endangered or Endangered taxa are currently not known to cultivation and therefore at great risk of extinction if threats that they are facing in the wild are not addressed.

The significance of this potentially catastrophic loss lies not only in the threat to the genetic diversity of the family, but also because they are a highly sensitive indicator of the well-being of the forests in which they are found. Magnolias are among the most ancient groups of flowering plants and have long been cultivated by mankind. Some specimens growing in the precincts of Chinese temples are estimated to be up to 800 years old. Still popular as ornamental plants in gardens around the world (although fewer than 15 species are common in cultivation), in the wild magnolias are a source of timber, food and medicines for local communities.

Magnolia stellata 'Centennial'. The species is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Redlist of Magnoliaceae. photo credit: R. Maurer

Besides being an intuitional member of BGCI, The Scott Arboretum participated in this survey and found our collections to rank 23^rd in the world out of the 238 participating institutions. The survey did not include Magnolia hybrids or cultivars since the survey aimed at evaluating the value of ex situ collections towards the long term conservation of wild populations.

Mature Magnolia x soulangiana near Worth Health Center. photo credit: R. Maurer

Speaking at the report launch in London, Sara Oldfield (Secretary General of BGCI and one of the report’s authors) said, “We now have a choice. We can use the new information to conserve these important trees and restore their forest habitats or we can catalogue their extinction.””The second option,” she added, “would be a tragedy.”

Take a tour of the Magnolia Collection with me on Wednesday, April 15 from 5 to 6:30 pm and learn how you can cultivate magnolias in your garden.

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As I see more and more people getting busy in their gardens, and crews of landscapers busy mulching trees in parks, along streets and at local businesses, this is a good time to revisit the reason for mulching woody plants and the proper method to do so.

Benefits

Trees planted in urbanized or developed environments such as city parks, near roads or buildings, or in cultivated gardens or lawns are often exposed to stresses not usually found in woodlands or natural environments. We remove the natural source of nutrients available to plants when we rake leaves, remove topsoil from construction sites and tidy up our gardens: decaying organic debris.

Magnolia stellata 'Centennial' correctly mulched. photo credit. R. Maurer

Plants do not care about what form of nutrients they receive, whether organic or inorganic, since they use nutrients in their elementary form. But there are many benefits to using an organic source:

• Lessened impact to the environment
• Contributions to the local economy and waste management systems
• Most composted materials contain significant quantities of the major plant nutrients and a full range of micronutrients and trace elements not often found in inorganic sources

Most urban trees simply need a periodic application of composted mulch to meet their basic fertilization requirements. The organic matter in composted mulch is able to give many benefits in addition to acting as a slow-release fertilizer:

• Improved water holding capacity and moisture conservation
• Increased microbial activity, which contributes to plant disease suppression and improved nutrient cycling
• Improved root growth
• Reduction in soil compaction and erosion control
• Save herbicide costs and reduce the competition caused by weeds

Incorrect technique of telephone pole affect on a tree trunk in a "Mulch Volcano". photo credit: R. Maurer

Types to Avoid

Many bark mulches, playground bark, or bark chips are not composted. According to Ronda Koski and William R. Jacobi of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), bark chips are commonly derived from landscape trees that were removed because of poor health and often contain plant pests. Chips derived from pallets and other wood packing materials may harbor indigenous and exotic plant pathogens. Composting breaks down these pathogens, so it is very important to use mulch that has been composted for at least one year. At the Scott Arboretum, we prefer a mixture of composted leaves and composted bark as a mulching material for trees.

This "Mulch Volcano" is over a foot tall on a tree planted approximately 5 years ago. photo credit: R. Maurer

Technique

While you will not over-apply nutrients by over-applying composted mulch, you can expect other problems. Therefore it is best to apply composted mulch no deeper than 2 to 4 inches extending at least to the canopy drip line (roots actually extend well beyond this point). Do not pile mulch around tree or shrub trunks; the trunk flare and root crown should remain exposed.

"Mulch Volcano" over 2 feet tall downhill. photo credit: R. Maurer

“Mulch volcanoes” where mulch is piled up around tree trunks resembling a cone seems to becoming a common site. But this practice promotes many problems.

• Leads to excessive soil moisture and potential root rot
• Causes inner bark tissue to die due to lack of oxygen
• Leads to insect and disease problems due to the specimen being under stress
• Creates a habitat for rodents that chew on the bark and girdle the stem
• Leads to anaerobic conditions that produce alcohols and organic acids toxic to young plants and create imbalances in soil pH

After excavating a "Mulch Volcano" 6+ inches deep, the root flare is still not visible. photo credit: R. Maurer

Mulching deeply around the trunk causes a slow decline and eventual mortality of woody plants. People are wasting money, labor and mulch in the short term and wasting the potential of magnificent specimens in their landscapes in the future.

Early signs of trunk rot and decline due to "Mulch Volcano". photo credit: R. Maurer

Links for further information:

Top 10 Myths of Tree Care – ISA (International Society of Arboriculture)

http://www.treesaregood.com/pressrelease/press/top10myths.aspx

Proper Mulching Techniques Key to Healthy Trees – ISA

http://www.treesaregood.com/pressrelease/press/MulchPR.aspx

New Tree Planting – ISA

http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_planting.aspx

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Visit our Magnolia Collection this spring to see if we have another breath-taking season. The Arboretum’s collections of hollies and magnolias have gained recognition as one of the registered collections in the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC).

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